WIGAN Warriors have been deducted two points and fined é50,000 by the Rugby Football League for breach of salary cap.

The RFL confirmed earlier today that Wigan and Bradford Bulls had cases to answer relating to alleged breaches of the Super League salary cap last season.

And an RFL statement tonight confirmed Wigan's punishment.

The Warriors were lying third-from-bottom, two points clear of second-bottom Wakefield Wildcats, before today's ruling.

The statement read: "At a meeting of the RFL independent judiciary panel, the Wigan Warriors club has been found guilty of breaching the 2005 Super League Salary Cap.

"The panel found that the Wigan club had a salary cap of between 52 and 55% at the end of 2005 and therefore, in accordance with the RFL's Operational Rules, has suffered a penalty of the deduction of two competition points.

"The panel also found that in the course of the breach, the Wigan club was guilty of conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game. They have been fined é50,000 plus costs in respect of this.

"The Wigan club pleaded guilty to both charges in the course of the hearing.

"Both penalties take immediate effect and thus the deduction of competition points applies to the current 2006 engage Super League competition table.

"An officially revised table will be published in due course."

Wigan appeared before the RFL's independent judiciary panel today with Bradford's case to be heard at a later date.

Hull FC, St Helens, Castleford and Wakefield have all been found guilty of minor breaches.

Hull and St Helens were fined é5,000 - a proportion of which has been suspended - and ordered to pay the costs of the investigation.

Castleford and Wakefield have been cautioned by a formal written warning and also ordered to pay costs.

All four clubs have a right to appeal the compliance commissioner's decision.

The independent audit covered both the engage Super League and LHF National League One.

Bradford were Super League champions in 2005 and Castleford won National League One.

Clubs in the Super League are permitted to spend no more than 50% of their income on players' wages, up to a maximum of é1.8million annually.

St Helens, Hull and Halifax were the last clubs to be punished for breaching salary cap rules, in 2003. All three had overspent in 2002 and were deducted two points.

Punishment can range from a fine to a deduction of six points, depending on the size of the breach.

Hull have accepted their é5,000 fine - é4,000 of which has been suspended - and explained their breach of the salary cap had not been deliberate.

Chief executive David Plummer said: "The board are determined to give our coaching staff the maximum opportunity to be successful while working as closely to the salary cap as possible.

"Unfortunately it is possible to inadvertently exceed that limit."

Hull added they co-operated fully with the investigation and "always offered transparency".